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9/10/2013 12:11PM

'Excuse Me?' The Cost of Workplace Interruptions

New research shows unscheduled interruptions at work leave people more exhausted and more prone to make errors. Sue Shellenbarger explains, and productivity trainer Laura Stack and HR manager Sheri Caldwell share their own experiences. Photo: Getty Images.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... oh ... like the state line wants the Constable ... new research reveals that on the schedule interruptions that would lead people mornings Allstate stress that will try to make parents ... the culprit is an email inbox it's the chassis co worker who sits next to you ... joining me now with a look of the will cost the workplace and for options is work and family calmness Sue Shellenbarger she's done but productivity specialist Lawrence back ... and Sherry Coldwell like human resources manager of just email the phone with us now and ... we've we've we have all read some great thank you ... all for joining us as say let's not with EU ... agenda said that the that the secrets about this ... Greece is a trade in State University found that ... interruptions country interactions that you work week people much more exhausted at the end of the workday nine percent more on dispensing with the heavy workload Ch they also increase people's feeling aches and pains stress and anxiety ... in its next morning twenty minutes of the race to get back to the test were working on ... before you were interrupted an even longer to get into that state of low concentrations beyond what their a costly ... and how long the Fed thank you to get back ... most of its more than twenty five minutes I before you return to the same task and ... some research suggests that can take as long as fifteen minutes if we get back into the stated the concentration re really doing your best work on a complex tax ... a lot more of what some of the new and now I'm da hand's complaints and what you do with companies ... I ... probably AB seminars beats the air around the country and in interruptions by color is by far one of the biggest culprits that people complain about in our ability ... to stay focused and concentrate on their work I completely concur with his daddy ... so one would suggest the Sony building one of the interrupt him and when we hear a pajama we have an open plan offices Simon even if I'm in a few very lucky to have an office with the door its collapse ... the ... row ... I happen to our most people will not added any weight on and so a lot of the things that we try to pass a plea to work anymore because people just ignore that is out ... usually it's a cultural issue ... with any organization that is addressed on a broader scale like reading the columns ... that describes when someone isn't a level to be interrupted ... so one of these some groups do for example is Institute some sort of signal ... for them like a sheet of dough or something that you ... cross that usually lets people know ... now is not intend in Iraq the last ... it's just kind of pre determined emergency so preventing bad sign and tends to be one of the biggest things people try to do now ... and the thing about I think about in an alt business that haven't come up with the news business and in Davidson is in fact in a muffled inside a as ... such we getting in front of store I'm so you ... understand that took bus friend Sherry in on the phone number sharing one did you realize the workplace and truck were a problem for you ... you want it to be good enough that angered people around you all day every day ... so ... yes really I ... know what the Lord suggest you do ... the no religion should be like or an addict or cultural thing but ensure you get ... twenty one ticket and went to work it out with their failure phone was ... instead of having to become fewer and you know you actually can or can't bear ... it because you're in control of the time and ... if the current euro until at the time he gets ... there because the person is ... telling you ... that you might have other things the deal ... the era and ... you can read when you want to get more in your schedule ... does that help you ... absolutely ... to ... read some things back announces town by the will Street tunnel of the human brain scan will be getting back to work but would quickly ... fall We Don's ... wife was only ... the research she state aid to trial electrocution show that people can get back to the complex computer test ... in about fifteen seconds according to Eric Kaufman who headed the study stoush but it's the takes effort into your Roth is an irony ... you know how hard is to dive back into that test its diverse and as Professor Robinson is ... not canceling due to other tasks on average before we get back to one ... in which they were interrupted so it really takes longer than we think and an error rates is well now ... and so I it's very costly ... I I know nothing we will we hold them ... someone who's made that era when Laura ... comparable train themselves to ... set a work in a N a ... N a a complex and the end of the task ... while they in the middle of say a huge open plan office with people swimming coming train themselves to do than to pull off ... things out mentally ... you don't think the decks for the six waste any and all of its workings ... I miss the sense or ... so I've seen people doubted us the instances where a noise canceling ... that's ... you definitely want to make store in your office is configured so that your back is that your one of the number one reasons people getting trapped in the ... hallway or a busy traffic area and people I'm curious to find that ... you get eye contact and you just got ... a ten minute interruption he didn't count on ... do ... you control your environment ... I he's set of ... protocols an understanding with your team members ... and to make sure you encourage people to send any invitation ... and for the interruption in its axle plant in Tourette's and so that you aren't in the middle of the task seemed it's ... been great ... Laura Sue and ferry we think it will be a time